2024 Mercedes-AMG GT 63 S E First Test: The Plaid/Sapphire EV Antidote

Of all the four-door cars we’ve ever tested, the only ones quicker to 60 mph than this new Mercedes-AMG GT 63 S E Performance are powered by cold, calculating, lifeless electrons. Mercedes-AMG’s most powerful series production model to date has some electrons pitching in, as well, but the lion’s share of the pulling is done by a characterful 4.0-liter twin-turbo V-8 engine that, by itself, produces 630 horses and 664 lb-ft of twist. The e-machine (and two-speed transaxle) mounted in the rear adds 201 hp and 236 lb-ft, tallying to 831 total horsepower and 1,032 lb-ft.

How Quick Is Our Quickest ICE Sedan?

The AMG’s 6.3 pounds/hp ratio undercuts the next-quickest 2021 Porsche Panamera Turbo S (7.6) and 2022 BMW M5 CS (6.5). The 0–60-mph sprint results in a photo finish requiring an extra decimal place: 2.56 seconds for the AMG, 2.63 for the Porsche, and 2.64 for the BMW. Icing on the cake is how easily—and repeatably—that performance can be obtained. In refreshing contrast to some competitors, activating Race Start launch control is as easy as overlapping the pedals. Activating the race timing feature puts a dragstrip-style “Christmas tree” in the cluster and super small HUD, though as at a dragstrip, you must initiate your pedal overlap just before you get the green. Release the brake, and you get some pretty violent axle hop (at least on our clean concrete surface) until everything hooks up. But road test editor Matthew Chudzinski reckons, “You could easily pay this thing off with some hefty side bets at bracket racing events.” Note that headline-grabbing electric sedans like the Tesla Model S Plaid and Lucid Air Sapphire are way quicker, reaching 60 mph in 2.1 and 2.2 seconds, respectively; Porsche’s Taycan Turbo S needs 2.4 seconds.

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What About the Quarter Mile?

At 10.7 seconds and 128.2 mph, the AMG scores our second-best ICE sedan timeslip. That M5 CS, weighing a half ton less, outruns it by 0.003 second(!) and 1.5 mph. Of course, the electric leaders are way out ahead with times in the low 9s at more than 150 mph.

And in the Turns?

In MotorTrend’s exclusive figure-eight test, our hottest performing sedans are much more closely packed, but our hefty AMG finishes fifth, with a time of 23.3 seconds averaging 0.93 g. Here, the Lucid Air Sapphire’s quarter-mile advantage is halved to just 0.7 second and a mere 0.01 g. The Panamera, Model S Plaid, and M5 CS all edge ahead of the AMG. Most of the credit goes to lighter weight in the other ICE models and lower weight distribution on the EVs. (They generate 1.04 to 1.05 g max lateral grip to the AMG’s 1.01 g.) They all take between 101 and 109 feet to brake from 60 mph.

Our test team noted that the GT 63 S E’s stiff suspension’s resistance to roll, pitch, and dive made it feel like braking/cornering “on ice.” They also felt the rear steering might have muddied chassis communication a bit. Just when you’d perceive that throttle oversteer was imminent and start trying to work with that, the rear would steer out of it and deliver an understeer impression. Hence, midcorner corrections were seldom straightforward, so it required textbook advance braking and patient cornering. That’s not to say the AMG GT 63 S E handles poorly. It’s just a very heavy car with little natural appetite for serious track work. (That’s what its two-door siblings are for.)

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How Is it Off the Track?

Miserable. With everything set to its max comfort setting—call it “night at the opera” mode—the ride is still extremely brittle and loud, and the general message seems to be: “This rig is so powerful, we needed an industrial transmission and suspension to cope with all the power and torque.” The clunking and banging into gears, even when simply slowing to a stop, are unbecoming of a $222,000 sedan. It gets even more intense in Track mode, whereupon the engine mounts firm up enough to allow the engine to noticeably jiggle the car side to side at traffic lights. All of this is in such stark contrast to the utter turbine smoothness of the quicker electrics. In an AMG GT coupe this all makes more sense than it does in a sedan.

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PHEV In Name Only?

Another caution: If you’re thinking the 6.1-kWh plug-in battery will whisk you legally through electric-only city centers, think again. The EPA rates it for just 1 mile of EV range. That battery’s job is to keep the rear motor whirring during a track session. As such, there’s no adjustable regen braking, and it’s designed to work like a big ultracapacitor, drawing down and charging back up super quickly while driving. This is no climate-action play.

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Bottom Line

Justify the steep price and kidney-traumatizing ride for this AMG’s fabulous soundtrack. No symposer or stereophonic gimcrackery is needed, and no electron-propelled railgun can fake an engine/exhaust note like this one. All that having been said, we can’t help but wonder: Now that the strictly ICE-powered Panamera Turbo S is gone, how might Porsche’s current range-topping 771-hp/737-lb-ft Turbo S E Hybrid (6.9 lb/hp) compare in terms of performance, ride, handling, and engine drama? And could the difference possibly justify its $32K base-price premium?